my hamster died earlier this week, she was my first hamster and i was panicking that i did something wrong, thanks for this explanation, miss her so so much 💔
same, she just turned one and died a couple days ago me and my family were so close with her. so upsetting miss her so much :/ im sorry for your loss ❤️🩹❤️🩹
My hamster passed away in my arms this morning, he was unfortunately a petstore hamster but lived to be almost 3 years old... i miss my baby, Fly High Denali ❤❤❤❤
My daughters syrian hamster just died a few hours ago suddenly, we only had her for 10 days, after learning about rodent mills from your video we decided to not even go back to the pet store to get another hamster from there even if it was covered under their 14 day guarantee, we are looking into adopting from a breeder. Thank you so much for your channel, we are learning so much.
Thank you for these videos, Victoria! After watching your videos my family has finally gotten our first rescue hamster, and he has been such a light in our life! I felt awful when I first learned about rodent mills, I can’t believe people could be that awful, so my family has decided to only get rescue hamsters from now on. Now whenever we go to the pet store even my parents start pointing out the bad cages and such after I’ve showed them your videos, and my hamsters are happier than ever!
Congratulation on your furry friend! I adopted my Syrian hamster from the local animal shelter. She's a sable, and she's very cute, and a lot of fun. She loves running on her wheel and flying saucer. I was told that her original owners had too many pets and were overwhelmed by all the work involved, so they dropped off several of their pets at this animal shelter.
@@VictoriaRaechel Hello Victoria, I have searched everywhere and looked all over your socials but I can't find your email. Can you please reply to me because this is regarding my hamster and it's very important, we can talk about it on here or on email please reply, thank you.
@@VictoriaRaechelthere is someone called @agirlwithahamstercalledmable that said shes got something important about her hamster that she needs to speak to you about, i figured with the amazingness of all the videos you make you might have missed her comment but i was just a reminder =D
I can 1000% vouch for Happy Paws Hamsters! Was a wonderful experience. There is a waitlist and they verify you have the correct size cage and it's set up BEFORE you can pick up your hamster. I received a mini family tree, birth certificate, and food on the day I picked up my hamster. We're about to hit 2 years and Reggie is doing amazingly.
We lost our hamster Daenerys 2 weeks ago, we rescued her when she was almost 2 year already and died exactly one year after we got her. I believe it was a sign and that she was saying that she had one fantastic year with us 🥰. I’m missing her so much, she was truly my study mate and she was always saying hello when I was studying. She came in in the smallest cage possible and her back was curved due to a small wheel, it was the smallest silent spinner in which she ran. Luckily we could fix it a bit by giving her a large wheel, until she got really old and her back started looking extremely curved again. The last weeks we gave her all her favorite snacks, loads of food and lots of love, we could tell she was really old and ready to cross he rainbow bridge. She loved chewing sticks so much, so I treated my rabbits and our other hamster with them in honor of her. I’ll miss her so much, she was so special to me and my boyfriend
Hello there, my hamster hasn't went on her wheel for about 2-3 weeks and she is wobbling when she walks sometimes. She is 1 and half years old and she will be 2 years old on 01/07/2023. I know she is getting old and she barely eats and goes on her wheel. I took her to the vets yesterday and they also said that she is losing too much hair. Can you please tell me what are some signs that you noticed before your hamster died and what should I do to help my hamster or change something?? ( and by the way, I know I can't stop her from growing old but I just want to know the signs and if I need to do anything more ) Thank you.
@@Islam-for_life When my hamster got really old she started to become skinny, she was sleeping a lot, which was a huge sign. Our hamster was VERY active, I owned many hamsters and she was the most active hamster I owned. Also, her back started to become really curved, and she looked like an old woman and had more medical issues, she had for example cystitis 4 months ago. We also noticed that it took her more effort to keep herself clean. We gave her a lot of love and just accepted that she was getting old and when needed, we visited a vet. If you are concerned about the health of your hamster please call a vet and ask for advice, because I'm clearly not a vet and this was just my experience
@@fabiennevandommelen Thank you so much for answering. My hamster has been sleeping alot and she has become skinny but, she can't clean herself. I took her to the vets on friday and they gave her anesthesia and cut her teeth as she didn't chew any of her chews and her teeth kept on getting longer. So, then now I'm going back to the vets because she hasn't ate, drank, took her medicine and exercised and she is only 1 and a half years old so, I don't know why she is very sick. By the way, she got wet tail?? But, only hamsters under 12 months get wet tail I think but, I'll talk to my vet.
My hamster died last night and he was 3 years old. He was a “teddy bear” hamster. I hope he had a good life ❤ I am still crying I didn’t think I would of been this upset when he passed. It sucks 😢
My hamster just died today, and I am very sad. But, he lived for a great 2 years with a happy home! Thank you sooo much for helping me give my hamster a great life. You don't know how much you’ve helped. ❤️ You Victoria and my hamster Tiger
Yeah it's so sad 6janary my 2year hampster got sick and with in 2 hours got worse his heart beat slow down .the vet told me I had to put him down 😢6janary 2024
This is why I’m so happy I got my hamster from a family owned business, they breed their hamsters and provide you with so much information on how to take care of them and they actually keep their dwarf hamsters in big tanks with their own food mix that is similar to sunburst hamster and gerbil mix. Very grateful I’ll be able to have my hamster for the span her life is meant to be
@@Clean-N-ShineInDfw unfortunately just being "family bred" does not mean they will be healthy, unless a hamster is from one of the breeders listed in the description they are likely a backyard breeder and therefore are probably still from a rodent mill type source.
just being "family bred" does not mean they will be healthy and that their practices are ethical, unless a hamster is from one of the breeders VR listed in the description they are likely a backyard breeder and therefore are probably still from a rodent mill type source.
@@skyzhu6215 you commented the same thing twice and yes I know, but they don’t get they’re hamsters from mills or anything like that. They raise them in the store, all the hamsters they’ve had since they were babies
My sis in law bought a dwarf hamster from Pets at Home for her 5 year old. We looked after her for a week, her name was Hotdog. Thanks to your, and others, videos teaching us what hamsters require to thrive - we convinced her to let us keep Hotdog (who was living in a small cage in a house with screaming kids who were too rough) among other issues. We were blessed with Hotdog for about 3 months until she sadly passed at around 5 months of age. We were utterly heartbroken and worried we did something wrong... However after looking into it, we are convinced genetics was the problem. She was a strange hamster who often slept above her bedding and peed where she slept, so she often smelt like pee. When we look back however at the big cage we have her, with lots of toys, treats and often got her out to play - we gave her an amazing few months compared to what she had and where she likely came from. Victoria; please keep making quality videos like this. More and more people need to learn that a hamster is not an easy and cheap pet to give your toddler. They need so much love and care ❤️ RIP Hotdog - she wasn't with us long, but she started our love for hamsters, and now we have given another a good home, and will continue to do so for as long as we can.
This is such a amazing and well thought out comment I’m so happy that you got to keep hotdog i know many people who are bad pet owners who will not let me keep them but I am still trying
I got my dwarf hamster from pets at home, I had him for about 3 months, so was probably around 5 months old - last night I didn’t hear him running round his wheel & now I fear he is dead
Our first hamster died just two days after we bought him. Poor thing probably was not OK, he was all the time very stressed. The one we have now is from another store and is much more calm and hopefully healthy. We learned the lesson. Your videos are super helpful.
THANK YOU!! You have changed my care so much from last year. I went from a 235 sq inch enclosure last year with a 6 inch wheel, to a 735 sq inch enclosure with a 11 inch wheel. My hamster biscuit has gotten so much happier. Thank you for all you have done.
I adopted my hamster Sasha from a pet store and she definitly had some medical conditions going on. She had 3 eye infections in her life, even though everything I used in the cage was safe, and at the end of her life she started losing patches of fur in random areas. I'll never know if she passed away from a random illness or deformity that caused her to lose so much of her furr or if it was simply of old age, but I'm grateful I had her for the 2 years I did and gave her the best life I could ❤️ thank you for continuing to shed life on these issues, you helped me and her so much
My hamster died a couple months ago and I got him from a pet store and died at 7 months.Poor baby❤️❤️I miss him so much I still cry every day about it it’s so sad but I know he is having a great time in hamster heaven.Fly high Pistachio🕊️🕊️
Just had a moment of "Oooooh!" while watching the video. We bought our first syrian hamster in july from a private breeder and ngl I wasn't expecting her to be that big bc I had just seen the pet store hamsters before. Explains a lot! She's doing really well btw, got attached to us really quickly and likes to be held and entertained. She's a real treat ♥
My hamster recently passed away even though she was ethically bred. (This was not a breeding issue, she was excellently bred). She passed away due to lack of appetite and water due to an eye infection. I tried to take her to my vet, but they were booked and the emergency vet could not take her. Just goes to show to always have back-up vets. Hamsters can decline very quickly, so thank you Victoria for educating people on hamsters!
Thank you so much for this video. My first hamster Totoro died recently after two months in my home. She was seven months old and I had bought her at a pet store here in Finland. Naively I thought they wouldn’t buy from rodent mills but clearly I was wrong. One day she was happy in her cage running around in her wheel and the next day I found her dead frozen mid motion. My new hamster, Miss Marble, is from an ethical breeder, certified by the rodent association here in Finland. She’s a big Syrian female, very curious and healthy. I had the vet check her out already (I was really freaked out after losing Totoro) and she said that Marble is very healthy and strong. Looking forward to spend more time with my little one and for a hopefully long life for her. Thanks for all the amazing work you do, Victoria. It really has taught me so much and helps me with making sure that Marble is well and happy.
not sure if you speak finnish as your name is not finnish so i'll write this in english (im finnish myself) Where exactly did you buy Totoro? I have bought all but 3 of my 10 hamsters from Faunatar in Turku and they have been very healthy, even got to meet one of the breeders who give her hamsters to the store :0. Tho i know that one pet store here called Akvaariopiste Helenius is very suspect on where they get their hamsters since the whole store is very shady and from what i have heard, hamsters there dont have the best conditions in their cages. i have heard that they are very mistreated, have worms, are underweight and alot of the times dont even have any water! I would be really interested on hearing what store(s) uses rodent mills!
@@Milkjiest Thanks for not writing in Finnish because, yeah I'm not Finnish but have been living very happily in Helsinki for five years. ;) I bought Totoro also at Faunatar here in Helsinki. I remember it said that she was from Estonia which I found a bit surprising already but didn't question it. But when I found her dead in her cage, I started connecting the dots that it's maybe not the best sign that she had to travel from Estonia to Finland (and not sure under what conditions). At the end of the day it's just a suspicion from my side, I haven't confronted the store yet. But she showed no signs of illness, there was nothing in her cage that could have harmed her. I didn't bring her for a necropsy but I'm assuming it was something with her heart since she was frozen in motion with her paws mid-walk. I could imagine that it really depends on the store and that things are quite different in Turku. Amazing to hear that you could even meet the local breeder and that you had such good experiences! Thankfully, I found an amazing breeder in Vantaa where I got Marble from and so happy to have such a sweet and curious little hamster in my life.
@@jessicachristian7335 This is very off-topic, but my curiosity is getting the best of me. Are you able to speak some Finnish? When you go into a store, do you speak Finnish, or English? Do you have a job, and if so, do you speak English or Finnish at your job? I'm American, and I can't speak a word of Finnish. But, I'm very aware that the Finnish language is incredibly difficult to learn. It's not an Indo-European language, and the grammar is incredibly complex.
@@hamsterama great question actually! I do speak basic Finnish = yes, I can manage in a store. But I do work in English and I don't think I will get to a working level proficiency in Finnish in this lifetime since I work in (content) marketing, so my writing and language skills are my most important skills and Finnish is one of the hardest languages to learn if you come from an Indo-European language background. But I'm also not worried about my career since Finland is too small of a market for most companies to not have marketing in English or even German which is my mother tongue. I have lived in Sweden before, so I speak rather good Swedish and do all of my official tasks in Swedish like health insurance or handling other providers that don't have English as an option. As you might be aware Finland is officially bilingual, so at least governmental services have to be provided in Swedish as well and most, e.g. the tax agency, are even in English. I'd say you can mostly survive without speaking fluent Finnish in Helsinki at least, in the more rural areas I doubt it is possible. But Google Translate is definitely my best friend. 😅
@@jessicachristian7335 Wow, your life story is very interesting! Thank you so much for sharing! I am indeed aware that Finland is officially bilingual, because a long time ago it was part of Swedish. The bilingualism kind of reminds me of the status of French in Canada. Besides German, English, Swedish, and some Finnish, do you speak any other languages? Also, I have more questions for you - Do you live in a Swedish-speaking part of Helsinki? If not, do you speak English or basic Finnish with your neighbors? Also, are most Finnish-speaking Finns able to speak good Swedish? I'm aware that Finnish speakers have to learn Swedish in school. But I was wondering if most kids forget how to speak it after they graduate from high school. Thank you, I find this very fascinating!
Victoria you are so right! My friends hamster recently died suddenly, why? Because she got it from the pet store! Someone had to point this out and it obviously had to be you. ❤❤
thank you for doing this video, my hamster just died a few weeks ago with no signs of illness or boredom. Thank you for this and i hope you and mabel are doing well! ❤️
Our hamsters only lasted 5 and 4 months. We have a new one and made a lot of cage adjustments thanks to your videos. I really hope this one will last longer. Thank you for all you do for hamsters, your advice is very helpful! Greetings from Scotland 🏴
We get our hamsters from the same breeder every time. I love how you make these vids because there is a lot of Misinformation about hamsters, and a lot of people just don’t do the right research before getting a hamster. honestly it just makes my so sad that people can get away with mistreating animals this way . And I love the sweet hamsters you have . You are a great person and I am glad that there is someone out there that really cares about animals ❤
When I first got my hamster 2 years ago, I was clueless with a tiny cage. I started watching your videos and built him a new ikea cage, got new bigger wheels and did whatever I could. He passed away yesterday in his sleep. I can only hope he wss at least a little happy in his very short life. Rest in Peace Hedwig and thank you so much for your videos, you probably saved Hedwig from a life of misery in a little cage.
My son and I lost our fur baby hamster named Roach a couple of days ago. He was only 19 months, he was suffering and the vet recommended to let him go. My son and I are heartbroken, we really loved him with our whole heart. We really tried our best to give him the best life, but sadly we missed the signs which I kind of feel angry at myself about. I do believe that he has crossed the rainbow bridge into heaven and that we will see him again. But sure do miss him, he was/is the sweetest best pet I ever had ,such an innocent and pure soul and very affectionate ,he would snuggle into my neck for cuddles and he was enetertaining to when I laid on the sofa with him, he would crawl all over me, he also loved climbing, I sure do miss that sweet little guy
Good morning! 🌻 These topics of illness and death can be emotionally difficult to talk about but are necessary for knowledge on the species, information on an industry that’s goal is profit driven, and to better inform individual owners. The take-away here also is that hamsters, in general, have a short life span and a majority of time their health issues end up blindsiding its owner. I, personally, wouldn’t own a hamster without a relationship with an exotic vet for guidance. I agree with your 2 topics of advice: to weigh your hamster on a regular basis and watch their behavior (eg eating habits).
I had gotten a hamster from the pet shop during covid. I had wanted to adopt but given the whole country being on lockdown, that was pretty much impossible. At the time I was going through a depressive phase and when I had went through one before, having a hamster improved my life greatly (and of course she had a great life with me following all of your advice), so I went ahead and bought one despite not really wanting to support the pet store. My first hamster's death was from old age, I could see her deteriorate and knew it was coming. With my second hamster, it was totally unexpected. She lived an amazing life and was seemingly healthier than my first hamster yet one day I went in and she was struggling to move. I held her in my hands as she passed away and since then I haven't been able to get another hamster. I wish I could get one from a breeder but there are none even remotely close to my state. I want to adopt but I'm so terrified of losing a hamster young again. This video certainly has helped me though to process what happened a bit better and remember that it's not my fault that they are bred so horribly. From now I will only adopt until the option to get a ethically bred hamster presents itself so thank you for a the resources Victoria
My Gizmo died this evening due to him not coming out of torpor. I was gutted , especially just before Christmas. Can I just say a massive thanks for all the advice I have received through your fantastic videos. At times where I was worried, you certainly reassured me and informed me on many occasions. From all the way here in Wales, UK 🏴 A MASSIVE THANKS YOU, MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR! 😃
Our first hamster died right before Christmas, I know you feel our grief. But we're starting to think about the next one. How do we clean the toys and wooden boxes and bridges and things? Or do we scrap all that and start over? PS thank you so much for your honest and well researched videos. They were invaluable in setting up our Kiwi's habitat! 💜 🥝 🐹
Aww I think it's so important to talk about these topics because things do happen and it's important to take these things into consideration especially with hamsters short lifespans! 💖
Thank you for your videos Victoria, they are so informative and helpful. I have owned 3 hamsters in total. My first one lived until she around 2, the second until he was 1 year 8 months and the other male only 8 months. Unfortunately as you said you really don’t know what their genetics are or how they were bread and can die very suddenly. It’s absolutely heartbreaking to see these mills still continuing to treat animals this way ☹️💔
Whenever I see a new video from you, my biggest question is, HOW DO YOU ONLY HAVE 601K? Your literally so helpful! And now my dad and I are building my hamster a huge cage! It's all thanks to you!
Some people get offended and defensive when they are told they are doing something wrong, even if you say it in the gentlest way possible. Your ham is lucky to have you. ❤
My hamster died today 5/22/23 she was barely active and never slept in her house I saw her trying to find a DARK place (even when my lights were off) May She Rest In Peace 🕊
I'm so sorry for your loss :( !!My hamster died today and I found out when he was just laying motionless in the little house he had in his cage.. I really don't know what truly happened because he had food, water, clean bedding, a huge cage, and everything hamsters need to live and thrive. I miss him so much😭!
I have had 3 hamsters that passed. My most recent one was about a month ago, but we have our new hamster Oreo and this video has given me good advice how to make sure she is healthy and strong.
For some reason my Phone didn’t alert me you posted, and I haven’t been on RUclips much so I didn’t even see this! I really like this video! It’s something that isn’t talked about a lot, and it’s honestly sad that people don’t focus on this! I saw 2 dwarf hamsters attacking each other in a pet store… It was really sad. I couldn’t watch and my mother found my crying in front of the fish tanks. Thinking about Boone one day has made me so sad… 😢
Thank you for this video! I get asked this question a lot too! So sad that rodent mills are still legal! I hope Mabel is still doing ok! You have really helped me with my hamster care, Victoria, so thank you! 🐹❤️
My robo dwarf hamster Pebble passed the day before Thanksgiving. I’ve had him since February 2021 and hope he lived a good life. This video coming out right after gave me a weird sense of closure. Thanks Victoria ❤
Ooh, this hurts! I lost my little robo, Monkey yesterday, after having him for a bit more than two years. He was a pet store hamster, so I guess that’s why I didn’t notice him aging or getting sick. Although he did not like me (he did not appreciate if I tried to pick him up), I loved him. I bought him chew toys and loved to make his cage unique and fun every time I cleaned it. I’ll certainly miss the little pitter pattering of his feet on his wheel every night, or his rustling about in his bedding. Thank you Victoria, because it was your content that let my little furball live his best life. RIP Monkey
omg my dwarf ham suddenly died last night and i was so confused and sad, and this vid pops up on my feed. he had a big bin cage, giant wheel, good diet, deep bedding, and lots of love
The same thing happened to my hamster! She died at about 6 months and the few days before her sudden death she was hyper active earlier in the evening. When I found her body, it looked like she deid peacefully in her sleep (I hope).
My baby passed away yesterday it was so sudden, day before her passing she was so active and kept on playing with me. And then next day she couldn't walk properly and her one arm was swollen, she was moving erratically. I searched up online it says 'congestive heart failure' in older female hamsters. I wish she could live more she was 15 months old. I just can't stop thinking about her
I bought my dwarf hamster from petco and I had my baby for 4 yrs but suddenly my baby died out of nowhere..truly sad and I had to watch my sweet tiny girl give her last breath....ty for all the information..bless you
With our dear fuzzy friends, they cannot speak to us and tell us what they think, but we can feel their love. Do your best to know that you did nothing wrong, you tried and put in every little bit of effort into giving them the best life. You did great and gave a better life to that little friend than they had in a cage before. You bonded with them and laughed and gave them the chance to be a friend. Be proud of what you did, instead of regretting what you might’ve done differently.
It really shocked me when i found out about this shit. I got a practice work place through school. It was seemingly cute and fun farm. They had all kind of animals from horses, snakes and pigs to hamsters. I dont know that much about the other animals there but i really fell in love with hamsters. I got to feed and care for them and thought i was doing the right thing by working there. One day i found little baby hamsters in a bucket starving and dying. At that moment i could not do anything else but take the only one that seemed to be still somewhat okay. Technically i stole her but she was gonna die if i didnt so i didnt feel bad about it. She, Freya, is still with me and bc of her i really started studying and reshearching the care of hamsters and realized how messed up the animal farm was. Next day the boss told me he had FORGOT the babies there and he was supposed to kill them painlessly. He was overbreeding the hamsters so he got rid if the "bad" ones. There was 2-4 hamsters a small cage, a few with babies. I tried to make their lives a little more comftroble by putting more bedding and hide places. However i got complaints for wasting the bedding... I even separated some, though that was hard since there wasnt enough cages and he wanted them to breed as much as possible. I saw many babies die bc the moms were too stressed to care for them and a few adults died due to fighting. It was so fucking heartbreaking. Im not there anymore and never will work for an asshole who treats animals like that. Im not sure if i can even do anything about it, the place is very popular too. Im happy i got my little Freya though and hope she wont get any bad health problems. It's so hard to think about life without her shes basically my best friend...
I'm SO HAPPY you put the élevage les petits princes in the list of ethical breeders !! This is where I got my first syrian hamster from a couple months ago, and I am going to pick up my second one next wednesday from her as well ! The breeder is absolutely amazing, and i DEFINITELY recommend getting on her waiting list.
i adopted my hamster from my local animal shelter! he had to be put down because of a cancerous tumor a week ago, but he had a good life with me and i could tell he appreciated the proper care for the 11 months i had him
this footage makes me want to throw up animal mills are made by disgusting greedy peices of filth and should be illegal. thanks for spreading awareness on such an undervalued topic and educating pet owners worldwide
So sad to think that my little Alfredo boy was probably from one of those mills. I got in from petsmart last February. Thanks to you, he is living the best life I can give him while I have him ❤
Our first Syrian hamster Sharlet died suddenly today we only had her for 2 months , in such a short time she had brought me and the kids so much joy our first pet. I have being racking my brain trying to figure out what could have gone wrong she was so active and alert yesterday. Thank you for this video and yes we bought her from the pet store😢
this video came at the right time. I just lost my adopted hamster a few days ago, but she was bred for a pet store. she was only 8 months old, I’ve lost 4 hamsters in the past but always due to old age so I’m struggling to get that closure and it’s shattered me. one minute she was running around, digging in her sand and just a few hours later she was gone. I think it was bad genetics, and there was nothing I could’ve done but I’m still struggling. trying to find comfort in knowing I gave her the best possible 6 months with me ❤
Hi! I love your videos! You helped me realize that supporting pet mills is wrong and a few weeks ago I adopted a hamster from a rescue for the first time!☺️
My hamster died 4 years ago , i thought he was iust sleeping but after touching him ans him not moving ik , it broke my heart burying him but i hope hes having fun in hamster heaven
Well I bought my hamster from a pet shop, but the shop i bought it from said that they were privatly breeded. (Which means that they weren’t ”mass produced” from a mill). So this shops gets like 4 hamsters once per month (from private breeders) or less, which seems pretty safe. And when you buy the hamster you get some kind of documents on it.
A lot of shops will say the animals come from local breeders. Its not entirely untrue. Mills are everywhere. And often not far so can be called “local breeders”. The truth is an ethical breeder will not sell to a pet shop. They want to know where their babies are going and that the person taking them home has proper care and setup for the pet. (This is true of any ethical breeder for any animal)😢 They cant do that if they provide their animals to a pet store that replies on impulse purchases of pets.
@@RatRandomness okey, well then it maybe wasn’t an ethical breeder, but atleast it was an private breeder. Bc it for sure wasn’t from a mill. As I said you get some kind of document proof
Not from an ethical breeder absolutely no breeder that is ethical would give their animals to a shop. They come from a backyard breeder who is breeding pet store hamsters and is honestly worse for lying and breeding unhealthy pet shop hamsters
As someone who works in a chain pet store in the UK, I can confirm the animals there are sourced from mills and their genetics are terrible. As mills do not selectively breed, they also often end up accidentally promoting aggressive genes. As a jaded pet store worker, it adds an hour to my life whenever I speak to a customer and they tell me they've decided to go through a professional breeder instead
Victoria I'm glad that you had a video on what to do if your hamster 🐹 gets accidentally pregnant. Whether or not you breed on purpose or have one that got pregnant by accident mama hamster 🐹 needs to be properly fed and cared for so she can properly nourish her pups.
Such an important topic and you explained it very detailed and plain. ❤ I personally think that "adopt, don´t shop" is the best way to go. Get your pets (not only hamsters) from your local animal rescue and not from pet shops.
My hamster died shortly after child birth by getting stuck in a its wheel. We found her and she was still alive but she was knocked out. we were with her until she died. The worst thing is how the wheel was one you recommended but I think it was just a freak accident
I think stress plays a huge factor too! Too small of an enclosure and not enough enrichment can really stress a hamster. We've seen how stress ages and causes health issues in humans. Hamsters suffer from it too.
i went on vacation and had my friend go each day to feed and check on her. He didn't see her much cause he came during the day. When I came back she was twitchy and falling over. I called the vet and they said it was most likely a stroke and there wasn't anything we could do but offer palative care. She lived another week or so after that. I blamed myself for years but realized this could have been genetic. She has a great habitat, great food and lots of love.
My hamster died this morning and she lived a long life your the reason I even got a hamster she had a good life and thank you for all the tip and care❤
Our first pet hamster died today, he was a dwarf hamster and his name was Paris, we had him for 2 years and 7 months. My daughter is devastated, as am I 😞 it’s so sad that they don’t live longer. Never thought I’d be so sad 😭
My Cambell dwarf Chubby just died today after a lovely 1.5 years. I'm so heartbroken. She's so soft and round and loves me so much. She loves cuddles and always trying to get my attention. Shes my best friend
I’ve had 3 hamsters who have passes and I have one currently. My most recent one died of old age I believe (he was almost 3) my other one looked like he was suffering and we passed with me my bro and my mom watching. My other one, who lived the shortest had bumble foot I think and be prepared for something gross, he was eating his insides. Later that day my mom took him to the vet and she was put down that day. I didn’t use a mesh or wire wheel and the pet store used a saucer I believe so idk how he got bumble foot if he did have that. All 3 had really poor care and after I found you I felt awful for the 10 gallon cage and for adding literally half an inch of bedding and all it had inside a 7in wheel, a small plastic castle house and a food dish and water bottle. Looking back I still feel awful. Rest in peace my lil boys 😭
We are considering getting another hamster. Strongbrew Hamstery is the one I've considered reaching out to. I'm glad it's one of your recommendations. I have a large diy enclosure I'm building for it. Three levels, measuring about 2'x16"x14" each, 5' tall in all. It is because of your channel that our next hamster will have a habitat enclosure, and not a cage. Maybe I'll send you a picture of it when it's complete if that's possible? Thanks for all that you do. You remain a guiding light and an inspiration.
I wish I'd seen this video when I was younger, because we had several pet shop hamsters that died suddenly and unexpectedly. It broke my heart every time it happened and we stopped getting hamsters for a long while because we thought it was our fault. Since then, I've learned so much from your videos and from the online hamster community. Right now, we have a Syrian who came from a breeder (he's two and a half years old and still in great health, most likely thanks to his genes) and two winter whites that came from a rescue. Adopting or visiting an ethical breeder is definitely the way to go!
I had two sisters die suddenly within days of each other. No symptoms, no signs, no illness. Held them the same day/the day before they died. I could only assume it was something genetic. Broke my heart.
My lil campbells dwarf died today 😢 he was my absolute world..think he was close to 4 years old..in the end he was so frail and wobbly..he died in his sleep after taking a sand bath and having a snack before he went to bed. He always seemed happy and was so loved..i hope he had a good life ❤❤❤ cant stop crying ive never missed an animal so hard
Thank you, Victoria! This is a depressing thing to talk about but your video will help raise awareness about the conditions hamsters are bred in and save many hamsters in the future. I really hope all countries make it illegal soon.
We adopted a roborovski a while back. We didn't think he was very old when we got him, but he died very suddenly after just under a year with us. One day he was fine or at least seemed fine, the next he was dead. It was quite a shock. Our best guess is either he was older than we thought, or he had something wrong with him due to poor breeding.
Thank you for this video my small hamster passed away yesterday… I felt it was me I didn’t give her enough but seeing this video I feel I could give her a better life even if it was sudden goodbye
These videos are amazing, I used to listen to pet shops and had super bad care, I started watching you then as I realised I was doing it wrong I went and me and my dad made the ikea detolf!!
My hamster entered the gate yesterday I got him from the pet store and I loved him like people love humans my sweet baby passed I think it was just old age he was 2 years old but I knew he didn’t have a long life but I still didn’t expect this sobbing my brains out I loved my baby boy so so so much his last couple of days I thought he was hibernating and he would wake up every once in a while I would do anything to hold my baby again 💔💔
Very well said, this comes down to my first female syrian. She has super weak immune system and refuse to accept any hamster food. I adopted her at only 3.5weeks and problems began at her week5. Long term medication didn’t help her as well and didn’t manage to survive at 7month then she passed away. Never trust people easily. People will just breed hamsters unknowingly for fun and wanting to earn profits. I have learned along the way now and I hope many will understand reasons behind
This video was helpful. My hamster Biscuit passed in his sleep today. He was just under a year old and I found his death rather odd. The night before he ate and drank normally and went on his wheel like normal, he showed no signs of stress or sickness. Guess it’s just one of those sad things. Thanks Victoria for the video
We sadly had to put our Syrian Hamster Sophie, to sleep tonight. She died of a possible bladder infection at a grand old age of 2 years and 3 months. A big thank you to you for educating me on how to look after her, especially with with housing them ( we chose the detolf hack) Our hamster lost weight over the last few days, became slower and finally was bleeding. Before the bleeding, I thought she was losing weight slowly and becoming slower, because she was an old lady, now turns out she had an infection. Sad times, but she was loved ❤
Not me clicking on this video knowing I’m gonna cry- I miss my baby ham so much😭 but I know the information is so important to help future hams. It’s a shame that you can do everything right and take such good care of your ham, and they can still get so sick to things out of your control (genetics, for one) :/ I wish they lived longer and that animal breeding would always be done ethically
My hamster passed away one year ago, and after this video, I think I understood why she suddenly passed away. Your videos are so helpful ❤ thank you ☺️
Hi Victoria, I'm a german and I work at a petstore and our rules are amazing. We treat the animals nice. And they get delivierd seperatly. We wont sell our small animals to people without big cages and we advise to only give healthy food.
Thank you so much for making this video. My hamster died 2 weeks ago and I was devastated that I could have done something wrong in her care even though I research beforehand. If I get another hamster I will get her or him from a breeder next time . Thanks for your help and support
this is so helpful thank you so much. i got my hamster as a pet-store hamster and it's very obvious that the process of breeding to taking care of these hamsters promotes an inaccurate image of how they should be handled. even the products they sell aren't the best for them but it's the cheapest and easiest to buy as it's in store so it makes the most money.
I bought my hamster from a pet store and then came across you I then knew ot wasn't the right thing to do and took him to a local vet to get him checked for cancer/tumors ect. And he was fine nearly 2 years down the line less than a month before his birthday he was taken to the vet and diagnosed with cancer I know not to buy another from a pet store but I saw your videos just in time that I knew what I needed to do x
my hamster died earlier this week, she was my first hamster and i was panicking that i did something wrong, thanks for this explanation, miss her so so much 💔
same, she just turned one and died a couple days ago me and my family were so close with her. so upsetting miss her so much :/ im sorry for your loss ❤️🩹❤️🩹
the same thing happened to me on october 23 i miss him so so much😢
the same thing just happened to me 2 days ago, I hope you’re doing well
So sorry.I hope you feel better
Was it stiff or soft?
My hamster passed away in my arms this morning, he was unfortunately a petstore hamster but lived to be almost 3 years old... i miss my baby, Fly High Denali ❤❤❤❤
My daughters syrian hamster just died a few hours ago suddenly, we only had her for 10 days, after learning about rodent mills from your video we decided to not even go back to the pet store to get another hamster from there even if it was covered under their 14 day guarantee, we are looking into adopting from a breeder. Thank you so much for your channel, we are learning so much.
Thank you for these videos, Victoria! After watching your videos my family has finally gotten our first rescue hamster, and he has been such a light in our life! I felt awful when I first learned about rodent mills, I can’t believe people could be that awful, so my family has decided to only get rescue hamsters from now on. Now whenever we go to the pet store even my parents start pointing out the bad cages and such after I’ve showed them your videos, and my hamsters are happier than ever!
i’m so happy for u this sounds so aweosme
Congratulation on your furry friend! I adopted my Syrian hamster from the local animal shelter. She's a sable, and she's very cute, and a lot of fun. She loves running on her wheel and flying saucer. I was told that her original owners had too many pets and were overwhelmed by all the work involved, so they dropped off several of their pets at this animal shelter.
That makes me so happy to hear! I love when parents even start to learn about proper hamster care and point out bad things in stores!
@@VictoriaRaechel Hello Victoria, I have searched everywhere and looked all over your socials but I can't find your email. Can you please reply to me because this is regarding my hamster and it's very important, we can talk about it on here or on email please reply, thank you.
@@VictoriaRaechelthere is someone called @agirlwithahamstercalledmable that said shes got something important about her hamster that she needs to speak to you about, i figured with the amazingness of all the videos you make you might have missed her comment but i was just a reminder =D
I can 1000% vouch for Happy Paws Hamsters! Was a wonderful experience. There is a waitlist and they verify you have the correct size cage and it's set up BEFORE you can pick up your hamster. I received a mini family tree, birth certificate, and food on the day I picked up my hamster. We're about to hit 2 years and Reggie is doing amazingly.
That's wonderful!
We lost our hamster Daenerys 2 weeks ago, we rescued her when she was almost 2 year already and died exactly one year after we got her. I believe it was a sign and that she was saying that she had one fantastic year with us 🥰. I’m missing her so much, she was truly my study mate and she was always saying hello when I was studying. She came in in the smallest cage possible and her back was curved due to a small wheel, it was the smallest silent spinner in which she ran. Luckily we could fix it a bit by giving her a large wheel, until she got really old and her back started looking extremely curved again. The last weeks we gave her all her favorite snacks, loads of food and lots of love, we could tell she was really old and ready to cross he rainbow bridge. She loved chewing sticks so much, so I treated my rabbits and our other hamster with them in honor of her. I’ll miss her so much, she was so special to me and my boyfriend
Hello there, my hamster hasn't went on her wheel for about 2-3 weeks and she is wobbling when she walks sometimes. She is 1 and half years old and she will be 2 years old on 01/07/2023. I know she is getting old and she barely eats and goes on her wheel. I took her to the vets yesterday and they also said that she is losing too much hair. Can you please tell me what are some signs that you noticed before your hamster died and what should I do to help my hamster or change something?? ( and by the way, I know I can't stop her from growing old but I just want to know the signs and if I need to do anything more ) Thank you.
And I hope your hamster rests in peace :( 💗
@@Islam-for_life maybe you schould try finding an exotic vet. The one you asked clearly don't know much about Hamsters.
@@Islam-for_life When my hamster got really old she started to become skinny, she was sleeping a lot, which was a huge sign. Our hamster was VERY active, I owned many hamsters and she was the most active hamster I owned. Also, her back started to become really curved, and she looked like an old woman and had more medical issues, she had for example cystitis 4 months ago. We also noticed that it took her more effort to keep herself clean. We gave her a lot of love and just accepted that she was getting old and when needed, we visited a vet. If you are concerned about the health of your hamster please call a vet and ask for advice, because I'm clearly not a vet and this was just my experience
@@fabiennevandommelen Thank you so much for answering. My hamster has been sleeping alot and she has become skinny but, she can't clean herself. I took her to the vets on friday and they gave her anesthesia and cut her teeth as she didn't chew any of her chews and her teeth kept on getting longer. So, then now I'm going back to the vets because she hasn't ate, drank, took her medicine and exercised and she is only 1 and a half years old so, I don't know why she is very sick. By the way, she got wet tail?? But, only hamsters under 12 months get wet tail I think but, I'll talk to my vet.
My hamster died last night and he was 3 years old. He was a “teddy bear” hamster. I hope he had a good life ❤ I am still crying I didn’t think I would of been this upset when he passed. It sucks 😢
@@em83998 😞
Mine just possibly passed today 😭 she was also a teddy bear. Her name was Sundae.. 😢
Sorry for your loss💔
@@jacqualynnwireman9159 if she died which i hope she did not😢 but if she did im sorry for your loss💔
it’s honestly just as sad as a dog or cat
My hamster just died today, and I am very sad. But, he lived for a great 2 years with a happy home! Thank you sooo much for helping me give my hamster a great life. You don't know how much you’ve helped. ❤️ You Victoria and my hamster Tiger
Sorry about your loss 🐹
Same my died yesterday
@@sindhurasadineni6519 so sorry for your loss. I'm still mourning my hamster Dasher death 💔
@@Clean-N-ShineInDfw thank you
Yeah it's so sad 6janary my 2year hampster got sick and with in 2 hours got worse his heart beat slow down .the vet told me I had to put him down 😢6janary 2024
This is why I’m so happy I got my hamster from a family owned business, they breed their hamsters and provide you with so much information on how to take care of them and they actually keep their dwarf hamsters in big tanks with their own food mix that is similar to sunburst hamster and gerbil mix. Very grateful I’ll be able to have my hamster for the span her life is meant to be
Hi can you share how to find families that breed hamsters?
@@Clean-N-ShineInDfw unfortunately just being "family bred" does not mean they will be healthy, unless a hamster is from one of the breeders listed in the description they are likely a backyard breeder and therefore are probably still from a rodent mill type source.
just being "family bred" does not mean they will be healthy and that their practices are ethical, unless a hamster is from one of the breeders VR listed in the description they are likely a backyard breeder and therefore are probably still from a rodent mill type source.
@@skyzhu6215 you commented the same thing twice and yes I know, but they don’t get they’re hamsters from mills or anything like that. They raise them in the store, all the hamsters they’ve had since they were babies
@@skyzhu6215 was just sharing my experience
My sis in law bought a dwarf hamster from Pets at Home for her 5 year old. We looked after her for a week, her name was Hotdog. Thanks to your, and others, videos teaching us what hamsters require to thrive - we convinced her to let us keep Hotdog (who was living in a small cage in a house with screaming kids who were too rough) among other issues.
We were blessed with Hotdog for about 3 months until she sadly passed at around 5 months of age. We were utterly heartbroken and worried we did something wrong... However after looking into it, we are convinced genetics was the problem. She was a strange hamster who often slept above her bedding and peed where she slept, so she often smelt like pee. When we look back however at the big cage we have her, with lots of toys, treats and often got her out to play - we gave her an amazing few months compared to what she had and where she likely came from.
Victoria; please keep making quality videos like this. More and more people need to learn that a hamster is not an easy and cheap pet to give your toddler. They need so much love and care ❤️
RIP Hotdog - she wasn't with us long, but she started our love for hamsters, and now we have given another a good home, and will continue to do so for as long as we can.
This is such a amazing and well thought out comment I’m so happy that you got to keep hotdog i know many people who are bad pet owners who will not let me keep them but I am still trying
I'm so sorry for your loss :( At least she got to live in a peaceful household even if it was only for a short while.
I got my dwarf hamster from pets at home, I had him for about 3 months, so was probably around 5 months old - last night I didn’t hear him running round his wheel & now I fear he is dead
@@izzymoore4158is your hamster still alive
Big aquarium is better for next one. 🙂❤
Our first hamster died just two days after we bought him. Poor thing probably was not OK, he was all the time very stressed. The one we have now is from another store and is much more calm and hopefully healthy. We learned the lesson. Your videos are super helpful.
THANK YOU!!
You have changed my care so much from last year. I went from a 235 sq inch enclosure last year with a 6 inch wheel, to a 735 sq inch enclosure with a 11 inch wheel.
My hamster biscuit has gotten so much happier. Thank you for all you have done.
That's wonderful to hear!
I adopted my hamster Sasha from a pet store and she definitly had some medical conditions going on. She had 3 eye infections in her life, even though everything I used in the cage was safe, and at the end of her life she started losing patches of fur in random areas. I'll never know if she passed away from a random illness or deformity that caused her to lose so much of her furr or if it was simply of old age, but I'm grateful I had her for the 2 years I did and gave her the best life I could ❤️ thank you for continuing to shed life on these issues, you helped me and her so much
My hamster died a couple months ago and I got him from a pet store and died at 7 months.Poor baby❤️❤️I miss him so much I still cry every day about it it’s so sad but I know he is having a great time in hamster heaven.Fly high Pistachio🕊️🕊️
Just had a moment of "Oooooh!" while watching the video. We bought our first syrian hamster in july from a private breeder and ngl I wasn't expecting her to be that big bc I had just seen the pet store hamsters before. Explains a lot! She's doing really well btw, got attached to us really quickly and likes to be held and entertained. She's a real treat ♥
My hamster recently passed away even though she was ethically bred. (This was not a breeding issue, she was excellently bred). She passed away due to lack of appetite and water due to an eye infection. I tried to take her to my vet, but they were booked and the emergency vet could not take her. Just goes to show to always have back-up vets. Hamsters can decline very quickly, so thank you Victoria for educating people on hamsters!
Thank you so much for this video. My first hamster Totoro died recently after two months in my home. She was seven months old and I had bought her at a pet store here in Finland. Naively I thought they wouldn’t buy from rodent mills but clearly I was wrong. One day she was happy in her cage running around in her wheel and the next day I found her dead frozen mid motion. My new hamster, Miss Marble, is from an ethical breeder, certified by the rodent association here in Finland. She’s a big Syrian female, very curious and healthy. I had the vet check her out already (I was really freaked out after losing Totoro) and she said that Marble is very healthy and strong. Looking forward to spend more time with my little one and for a hopefully long life for her. Thanks for all the amazing work you do, Victoria. It really has taught me so much and helps me with making sure that Marble is well and happy.
not sure if you speak finnish as your name is not finnish so i'll write this in english (im finnish myself)
Where exactly did you buy Totoro? I have bought all but 3 of my 10 hamsters from Faunatar in Turku and they have been very healthy, even got to meet one of the breeders who give her hamsters to the store :0. Tho i know that one pet store here called Akvaariopiste Helenius is very suspect on where they get their hamsters since the whole store is very shady and from what i have heard, hamsters there dont have the best conditions in their cages. i have heard that they are very mistreated, have worms, are underweight and alot of the times dont even have any water! I would be really interested on hearing what store(s) uses rodent mills!
@@Milkjiest Thanks for not writing in Finnish because, yeah I'm not Finnish but have been living very happily in Helsinki for five years. ;) I bought Totoro also at Faunatar here in Helsinki. I remember it said that she was from Estonia which I found a bit surprising already but didn't question it. But when I found her dead in her cage, I started connecting the dots that it's maybe not the best sign that she had to travel from Estonia to Finland (and not sure under what conditions). At the end of the day it's just a suspicion from my side, I haven't confronted the store yet. But she showed no signs of illness, there was nothing in her cage that could have harmed her. I didn't bring her for a necropsy but I'm assuming it was something with her heart since she was frozen in motion with her paws mid-walk.
I could imagine that it really depends on the store and that things are quite different in Turku. Amazing to hear that you could even meet the local breeder and that you had such good experiences! Thankfully, I found an amazing breeder in Vantaa where I got Marble from and so happy to have such a sweet and curious little hamster in my life.
@@jessicachristian7335 This is very off-topic, but my curiosity is getting the best of me. Are you able to speak some Finnish? When you go into a store, do you speak Finnish, or English? Do you have a job, and if so, do you speak English or Finnish at your job? I'm American, and I can't speak a word of Finnish. But, I'm very aware that the Finnish language is incredibly difficult to learn. It's not an Indo-European language, and the grammar is incredibly complex.
@@hamsterama great question actually! I do speak basic Finnish = yes, I can manage in a store. But I do work in English and I don't think I will get to a working level proficiency in Finnish in this lifetime since I work in (content) marketing, so my writing and language skills are my most important skills and Finnish is one of the hardest languages to learn if you come from an Indo-European language background. But I'm also not worried about my career since Finland is too small of a market for most companies to not have marketing in English or even German which is my mother tongue. I have lived in Sweden before, so I speak rather good Swedish and do all of my official tasks in Swedish like health insurance or handling other providers that don't have English as an option. As you might be aware Finland is officially bilingual, so at least governmental services have to be provided in Swedish as well and most, e.g. the tax agency, are even in English. I'd say you can mostly survive without speaking fluent Finnish in Helsinki at least, in the more rural areas I doubt it is possible. But Google Translate is definitely my best friend. 😅
@@jessicachristian7335 Wow, your life story is very interesting! Thank you so much for sharing! I am indeed aware that Finland is officially bilingual, because a long time ago it was part of Swedish. The bilingualism kind of reminds me of the status of French in Canada. Besides German, English, Swedish, and some Finnish, do you speak any other languages? Also, I have more questions for you - Do you live in a Swedish-speaking part of Helsinki? If not, do you speak English or basic Finnish with your neighbors? Also, are most Finnish-speaking Finns able to speak good Swedish? I'm aware that Finnish speakers have to learn Swedish in school. But I was wondering if most kids forget how to speak it after they graduate from high school. Thank you, I find this very fascinating!
Victoria you are so right! My friends hamster recently died suddenly, why? Because she got it from the pet store! Someone had to point this out and it obviously had to be you. ❤❤
thank you for doing this video, my hamster just died a few weeks ago with no signs of illness or boredom. Thank you for this and i hope you and mabel are doing well! ❤️
I'm sorry for your loss!
I can not believe how selfish some people are to hurt an innocent animal. Just for money is so sad and so disgusting. I hope they shut down. 🥺💔
Our hamsters only lasted 5 and 4 months. We have a new one and made a lot of cage adjustments thanks to your videos. I really hope this one will last longer.
Thank you for all you do for hamsters, your advice is very helpful! Greetings from Scotland 🏴
It's great to hear the improvements you've made! Thank you!
We get our hamsters from the same breeder every time. I love how you make these vids because there is a lot of Misinformation about hamsters, and a lot of people just don’t do the right research before getting a hamster. honestly it just makes my so sad that people can get away with mistreating animals this way . And I love the sweet hamsters you have . You are a great person and I am glad that there is someone out there that really cares about animals ❤
Thank you so much!
When I first got my hamster 2 years ago, I was clueless with a tiny cage. I started watching your videos and built him a new ikea cage, got new bigger wheels and did whatever I could. He passed away yesterday in his sleep. I can only hope he wss at least a little happy in his very short life. Rest in Peace Hedwig and thank you so much for your videos, you probably saved Hedwig from a life of misery in a little cage.
My son and I lost our fur baby hamster named Roach a couple of days ago. He was only 19 months, he was suffering and the vet recommended to let him go. My son and I are heartbroken, we really loved him with our whole heart. We really tried our best to give him the best life, but sadly we missed the signs which I kind of feel angry at myself about. I do believe that he has crossed the rainbow bridge into heaven and that we will see him again. But sure do miss him, he was/is the sweetest best pet I ever had ,such an innocent and pure soul and very affectionate ,he would snuggle into my neck for cuddles and he was enetertaining to when I laid on the sofa with him, he would crawl all over me, he also loved climbing, I sure do miss that sweet little guy
Good morning! 🌻
These topics of illness and death can be emotionally difficult to talk about but are necessary for knowledge on the species, information on an industry that’s goal is profit driven, and to better inform individual owners.
The take-away here also is that hamsters, in general, have a short life span and a majority of time their health issues end up blindsiding its owner. I, personally, wouldn’t own a hamster without a relationship with an exotic vet for guidance.
I agree with your 2 topics of advice: to weigh your hamster on a regular basis and watch their behavior (eg eating habits).
I had gotten a hamster from the pet shop during covid. I had wanted to adopt but given the whole country being on lockdown, that was pretty much impossible. At the time I was going through a depressive phase and when I had went through one before, having a hamster improved my life greatly (and of course she had a great life with me following all of your advice), so I went ahead and bought one despite not really wanting to support the pet store. My first hamster's death was from old age, I could see her deteriorate and knew it was coming. With my second hamster, it was totally unexpected. She lived an amazing life and was seemingly healthier than my first hamster yet one day I went in and she was struggling to move. I held her in my hands as she passed away and since then I haven't been able to get another hamster. I wish I could get one from a breeder but there are none even remotely close to my state. I want to adopt but I'm so terrified of losing a hamster young again. This video certainly has helped me though to process what happened a bit better and remember that it's not my fault that they are bred so horribly. From now I will only adopt until the option to get a ethically bred hamster presents itself so thank you for a the resources Victoria
My Gizmo died this evening due to him not coming out of torpor. I was gutted , especially just before Christmas. Can I just say a massive thanks for all the advice I have received through your fantastic videos. At times where I was worried, you certainly reassured me and informed me on many occasions. From all the way here in Wales, UK 🏴 A MASSIVE THANKS YOU, MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR! 😃
This video came when I needed it! My beloved Dodam in my profile picture left us in October and this has helped me come to a conclusion. ♥️
My dad finally understands about the importance of picking a right hamster and cage, thank you Raechel
Our first hamster died right before Christmas, I know you feel our grief. But we're starting to think about the next one. How do we clean the toys and wooden boxes and bridges and things? Or do we scrap all that and start over?
PS thank you so much for your honest and well researched videos. They were invaluable in setting up our Kiwi's habitat!
💜 🥝 🐹
@victoriarachael this is such a good question!!
Aww I think it's so important to talk about these topics because things do happen and it's important to take these things into consideration especially with hamsters short lifespans! 💖
Thank you for your videos Victoria, they are so informative and helpful. I have owned 3 hamsters in total. My first one lived until she around 2, the second until he was 1 year 8 months and the other male only 8 months. Unfortunately as you said you really don’t know what their genetics are or how they were bread and can die very suddenly. It’s absolutely heartbreaking to see these mills still continuing to treat animals this way ☹️💔
I adopted a Campbell dwarf hamster recently, and her sudden death is one of my biggest fears at the moment
Thank you for helping everyone we love you! ❤❤❤
Whenever I see a new video from you, my biggest question is, HOW DO YOU ONLY HAVE 601K? Your literally so helpful! And now my dad and I are building my hamster a huge cage! It's all thanks to you!
Some people get offended and defensive when they are told they are doing something wrong, even if you say it in the gentlest way possible. Your ham is lucky to have you. ❤
Thank you 🥰
Thank you Victoria. My baby girl just passed away. I rescued her. I had her in my care for about six months.
My hamster passed Saturday, I had her for 3 years and I loved her so much. Rest in peace teddy
I'm sorry to the people whose hamsters has died so suddenly and thank you victoria for trying to tell us the best reason on why
My hamster died today 5/22/23 she was barely active and never slept in her house I saw her trying to find a DARK place (even when my lights were off) May She Rest In Peace 🕊
I'm so sorry for your loss :( !!My hamster died today and I found out when he was just laying motionless in the little house he had in his cage.. I really don't know what truly happened because he had food, water, clean bedding, a huge cage, and everything hamsters need to live and thrive. I miss him so much😭!
I have had 3 hamsters that passed. My most recent one was about a month ago, but we have our new hamster Oreo and this video has given me good advice how to make sure she is healthy and strong.
For some reason my Phone didn’t alert me you posted, and I haven’t been on RUclips much so I didn’t even see this!
I really like this video! It’s something that isn’t talked about a lot, and it’s honestly sad that people don’t focus on this!
I saw 2 dwarf hamsters attacking each other in a pet store… It was really sad. I couldn’t watch and my mother found my crying in front of the fish tanks.
Thinking about Boone one day has made me so sad… 😢
Great video!👍🏻 I am shocked by the hamster mills pictures🥺 That's so sad😰 I have never seen anything like this🥺
It's really sad and most people will overlook it :(
Thank you for this video! I get asked this question a lot too! So sad that rodent mills are still legal! I hope Mabel is still doing ok! You have really helped me with my hamster care, Victoria, so thank you! 🐹❤️
ah yes
ur always first to comment
This is a great informational video! I hope this helps lots of people. I hope Mabel is doing well! 🥰🐹
Thank you!
I must inform you that with a heavy heart, Mabel is no longer with us…….🤤
My robo dwarf hamster Pebble passed the day before Thanksgiving. I’ve had him since February 2021 and hope he lived a good life. This video coming out right after gave me a weird sense of closure. Thanks Victoria ❤
Ooh, this hurts! I lost my little robo, Monkey yesterday, after having him for a bit more than two years. He was a pet store hamster, so I guess that’s why I didn’t notice him aging or getting sick. Although he did not like me (he did not appreciate if I tried to pick him up), I loved him. I bought him chew toys and loved to make his cage unique and fun every time I cleaned it. I’ll certainly miss the little pitter pattering of his feet on his wheel every night, or his rustling about in his bedding. Thank you Victoria, because it was your content that let my little furball live his best life. RIP Monkey
Woke up this morning and my hamster was dead thanks for the explanation!
omg my dwarf ham suddenly died last night and i was so confused and sad, and this vid pops up on my feed. he had a big bin cage, giant wheel, good diet, deep bedding, and lots of love
The same thing happened to my hamster! She died at about 6 months and the few days before her sudden death she was hyper active earlier in the evening. When I found her body, it looked like she deid peacefully in her sleep (I hope).
My baby passed away yesterday it was so sudden, day before her passing she was so active and kept on playing with me. And then next day she couldn't walk properly and her one arm was swollen, she was moving erratically. I searched up online it says 'congestive heart failure' in older female hamsters. I wish she could live more she was 15 months old. I just can't stop thinking about her
This is almost exactly what happened to my nugget yesterday. Im absolutley devestated. Will miss her loads.
@@kelvingriffiths6017 Sorry for your loss, our angels are in a happy place now.
These mills really need to be stopped. It breaks my heart seeing all these innocent animals treated that way! How is this still happening??!!!
I bought my dwarf hamster from petco and I had my baby for 4 yrs but suddenly my baby died out of nowhere..truly sad and I had to watch my sweet tiny girl give her last breath....ty for all the information..bless you
The thumbnail was so sad. I wish more people take care of hamsters. They matter tooo
With our dear fuzzy friends, they cannot speak to us and tell us what they think, but we can feel their love. Do your best to know that you did nothing wrong, you tried and put in every little bit of effort into giving them the best life. You did great and gave a better life to that little friend than they had in a cage before. You bonded with them and laughed and gave them the chance to be a friend.
Be proud of what you did, instead of regretting what you might’ve done differently.
It really shocked me when i found out about this shit. I got a practice work place through school. It was seemingly cute and fun farm. They had all kind of animals from horses, snakes and pigs to hamsters.
I dont know that much about the other animals there but i really fell in love with hamsters. I got to feed and care for them and thought i was doing the right thing by working there.
One day i found little baby hamsters in a bucket starving and dying. At that moment i could not do anything else but take the only one that seemed to be still somewhat okay. Technically i stole her but she was gonna die if i didnt so i didnt feel bad about it. She, Freya, is still with me and bc of her i really started studying and reshearching the care of hamsters and realized how messed up the animal farm was.
Next day the boss told me he had FORGOT the babies there and he was supposed to kill them painlessly. He was overbreeding the hamsters so he got rid if the "bad" ones.
There was 2-4 hamsters a small cage, a few with babies. I tried to make their lives a little more comftroble by putting more bedding and hide places. However i got complaints for wasting the bedding... I even separated some, though that was hard since there wasnt enough cages and he wanted them to breed as much as possible.
I saw many babies die bc the moms were too stressed to care for them and a few adults died due to fighting. It was so fucking heartbreaking. Im not there anymore and never will work for an asshole who treats animals like that. Im not sure if i can even do anything about it, the place is very popular too.
Im happy i got my little Freya though and hope she wont get any bad health problems. It's so hard to think about life without her shes basically my best friend...
I'm SO HAPPY you put the élevage les petits princes in the list of ethical breeders !! This is where I got my first syrian hamster from a couple months ago, and I am going to pick up my second one next wednesday from her as well !
The breeder is absolutely amazing, and i DEFINITELY recommend getting on her waiting list.
We need to try and get some momentum for lawyers to fight for exotic animal rights, mills are some of the biggest evils on the planet 😢
i adopted my hamster from my local animal shelter! he had to be put down because of a cancerous tumor a week ago, but he had a good life with me and i could tell he appreciated the proper care for the 11 months i had him
this footage makes me want to throw up animal mills are made by disgusting greedy peices of filth and should be illegal. thanks for spreading awareness on such an undervalued topic and educating pet owners worldwide
OMG, I didn't know that even hamsters were treated this way.😢💔🐹Thank you for letting us know about it.👍👏💗
Of course!
So sad to think that my little Alfredo boy was probably from one of those mills. I got in from petsmart last February. Thanks to you, he is living the best life I can give him while I have him ❤
Our first Syrian hamster Sharlet died suddenly today we only had her for 2 months , in such a short time she had brought me and the kids so much joy our first pet. I have being racking my brain trying to figure out what could have gone wrong she was so active and alert yesterday. Thank you for this video and yes we bought her from the pet store😢
this video came at the right time. I just lost my adopted hamster a few days ago, but she was bred for a pet store. she was only 8 months old, I’ve lost 4 hamsters in the past but always due to old age so I’m struggling to get that closure and it’s shattered me. one minute she was running around, digging in her sand and just a few hours later she was gone. I think it was bad genetics, and there was nothing I could’ve done but I’m still struggling. trying to find comfort in knowing I gave her the best possible 6 months with me ❤
Hi! I love your videos! You helped me realize that supporting pet mills is wrong and a few weeks ago I adopted a hamster from a rescue for the first time!☺️
That's awesome!!
My hamster died 4 years ago , i thought he was iust sleeping but after touching him ans him not moving ik , it broke my heart burying him but i hope hes having fun in hamster heaven
Well I bought my hamster from a pet shop, but the shop i bought it from said that they were privatly breeded. (Which means that they weren’t ”mass produced” from a mill). So this shops gets like 4 hamsters once per month (from private breeders) or less, which seems pretty safe. And when you buy the hamster you get some kind of documents on it.
A lot of shops will say the animals come from local breeders. Its not entirely untrue. Mills are everywhere. And often not far so can be called “local breeders”.
The truth is an ethical breeder will not sell to a pet shop. They want to know where their babies are going and that the person taking them home has proper care and setup for the pet. (This is true of any ethical breeder for any animal)😢
They cant do that if they provide their animals to a pet store that replies on impulse purchases of pets.
@@RatRandomness okey, well then it maybe wasn’t an ethical breeder, but atleast it was an private breeder. Bc it for sure wasn’t from a mill. As I said you get some kind of document proof
Not from an ethical breeder absolutely no breeder that is ethical would give their animals to a shop. They come from a backyard breeder who is breeding pet store hamsters and is honestly worse for lying and breeding unhealthy pet shop hamsters
As someone who works in a chain pet store in the UK, I can confirm the animals there are sourced from mills and their genetics are terrible. As mills do not selectively breed, they also often end up accidentally promoting aggressive genes. As a jaded pet store worker, it adds an hour to my life whenever I speak to a customer and they tell me they've decided to go through a professional breeder instead
Victoria I'm glad that you had a video on what to do if your hamster 🐹 gets accidentally pregnant.
Whether or not you breed on purpose or have one that got pregnant by accident mama hamster 🐹 needs to be properly fed and cared for so she can properly nourish her pups.
Such an important topic and you explained it very detailed and plain. ❤
I personally think that "adopt, don´t shop" is the best way to go. Get your pets (not only hamsters) from your local animal rescue and not from pet shops.
My hamster died shortly after child birth by getting stuck in a its wheel. We found her and she was still alive but she was knocked out. we were with her until she died. The worst thing is how the wheel was one you recommended but I think it was just a freak accident
I think stress plays a huge factor too! Too small of an enclosure and not enough enrichment can really stress a hamster. We've seen how stress ages and causes health issues in humans. Hamsters suffer from it too.
i went on vacation and had my friend go each day to feed and check on her. He didn't see her much cause he came during the day. When I came back she was twitchy and falling over. I called the vet and they said it was most likely a stroke and there wasn't anything we could do but offer palative care. She lived another week or so after that. I blamed myself for years but realized this could have been genetic. She has a great habitat, great food and lots of love.
My hamster died this morning and she lived a long life your the reason I even got a hamster she had a good life and thank you for all the tip and care❤
Our first pet hamster died today, he was a dwarf hamster and his name was Paris, we had him for 2 years and 7 months. My daughter is devastated, as am I 😞 it’s so sad that they don’t live longer. Never thought I’d be so sad 😭
I'm so sorry for your loss!
My Cambell dwarf Chubby just died today after a lovely 1.5 years. I'm so heartbroken. She's so soft and round and loves me so much. She loves cuddles and always trying to get my attention. Shes my best friend
I’ve had 3 hamsters who have passes and I have one currently. My most recent one died of old age I believe (he was almost 3) my other one looked like he was suffering and we passed with me my bro and my mom watching. My other one, who lived the shortest had bumble foot I think and be prepared for something gross, he was eating his insides. Later that day my mom took him to the vet and she was put down that day. I didn’t use a mesh or wire wheel and the pet store used a saucer I believe so idk how he got bumble foot if he did have that. All 3 had really poor care and after I found you I felt awful for the 10 gallon cage and for adding literally half an inch of bedding and all it had inside a 7in wheel, a small plastic castle house and a food dish and water bottle. Looking back I still feel awful. Rest in peace my lil boys 😭
We are considering getting another hamster. Strongbrew Hamstery is the one I've considered reaching out to. I'm glad it's one of your recommendations. I have a large diy enclosure I'm building for it. Three levels, measuring about 2'x16"x14" each, 5' tall in all. It is because of your channel that our next hamster will have a habitat enclosure, and not a cage. Maybe I'll send you a picture of it when it's complete if that's possible? Thanks for all that you do. You remain a guiding light and an inspiration.
I wish I'd seen this video when I was younger, because we had several pet shop hamsters that died suddenly and unexpectedly. It broke my heart every time it happened and we stopped getting hamsters for a long while because we thought it was our fault. Since then, I've learned so much from your videos and from the online hamster community. Right now, we have a Syrian who came from a breeder (he's two and a half years old and still in great health, most likely thanks to his genes) and two winter whites that came from a rescue. Adopting or visiting an ethical breeder is definitely the way to go!
It hurts to loose him.I loved him so very much.
I had two sisters die suddenly within days of each other. No symptoms, no signs, no illness. Held them the same day/the day before they died. I could only assume it was something genetic. Broke my heart.
Thank you so much for making all these videos it has helped me know so much for when I get a hamster, your truly amazing 🥺❤️
My lil campbells dwarf died today 😢 he was my absolute world..think he was close to 4 years old..in the end he was so frail and wobbly..he died in his sleep after taking a sand bath and having a snack before he went to bed. He always seemed happy and was so loved..i hope he had a good life ❤❤❤ cant stop crying ive never missed an animal so hard
I feel so bad for hamsters kept at rodent mills, it's just so sad to even see the video of them just stuck in tiny enclosures being forced to breed.
Thank you, Victoria! This is a depressing thing to talk about but your video will help raise awareness about the conditions hamsters are bred in and save many hamsters in the future. I really hope all countries make it illegal soon.
Thank you. I can't tell you the story because it's too long but you gave me some relief from my great pain and shame after loosing my hamsters...
I'm sorry for you loss ❤️
We adopted a roborovski a while back. We didn't think he was very old when we got him, but he died very suddenly after just under a year with us. One day he was fine or at least seemed fine, the next he was dead. It was quite a shock. Our best guess is either he was older than we thought, or he had something wrong with him due to poor breeding.
Thank you for this video my small hamster passed away yesterday… I felt it was me I didn’t give her enough but seeing this video I feel I could give her a better life even if it was sudden goodbye
I'm sorry for your loss :(
These videos are amazing, I used to listen to pet shops and had super bad care, I started watching you then as I realised I was doing it wrong I went and me and my dad made the ikea detolf!!
My hamster entered the gate yesterday I got him from the pet store and I loved him like people love humans my sweet baby passed I think it was just old age he was 2 years old but I knew he didn’t have a long life but I still didn’t expect this sobbing my brains out I loved my baby boy so so so much his last couple of days I thought he was hibernating and he would wake up every once in a while I would do anything to hold my baby again 💔💔
Very well said, this comes down to my first female syrian. She has super weak immune system and refuse to accept any hamster food. I adopted her at only 3.5weeks and problems began at her week5. Long term medication didn’t help her as well and didn’t manage to survive at 7month then she passed away.
Never trust people easily. People will just breed hamsters unknowingly for fun and wanting to earn profits. I have learned along the way now and I hope many will understand reasons behind
This video was helpful. My hamster Biscuit passed in his sleep today. He was just under a year old and I found his death rather odd. The night before he ate and drank normally and went on his wheel like normal, he showed no signs of stress or sickness. Guess it’s just one of those sad things. Thanks Victoria for the video
I had a hamster named Dusty like the one at 4:25. She died at 28 months. I was sad but I know that she was happy and had a good life.
Breaks my heart people abuse animals for money😢, thanks for bringing awareness!
We sadly had to put our Syrian Hamster Sophie, to sleep tonight. She died of a possible bladder infection at a grand old age of 2 years and 3 months.
A big thank you to you for educating me on how to look after her, especially with with housing them ( we chose the detolf hack) Our hamster lost weight over the last few days, became slower and finally was bleeding. Before the bleeding, I thought she was losing weight slowly and becoming slower, because she was an old lady, now turns out she had an infection. Sad times, but she was loved ❤
Not me clicking on this video knowing I’m gonna cry- I miss my baby ham so much😭 but I know the information is so important to help future hams. It’s a shame that you can do everything right and take such good care of your ham, and they can still get so sick to things out of your control (genetics, for one) :/ I wish they lived longer and that animal breeding would always be done ethically
My hamster passed away one year ago, and after this video, I think I understood why she suddenly passed away. Your videos are so helpful ❤ thank you ☺️
I'm glad it was possibly able to help give more of an understanding!
Thank you so much for this video! my hamster escaped after my bday in September you helped me so much!
Hi Victoria, I'm a german and I work at a petstore and our rules are amazing. We treat the animals nice. And they get delivierd seperatly. We wont sell our small animals to people without big cages and we advise to only give healthy food.
Thank you so much for making this video. My hamster died 2 weeks ago and I was devastated that I could have done something wrong in her care even though I research beforehand. If I get another hamster I will get her or him from a breeder next time . Thanks for your help and support
this is so helpful thank you so much. i got my hamster as a pet-store hamster and it's very obvious that the process of breeding to taking care of these hamsters promotes an inaccurate image of how they should be handled. even the products they sell aren't the best for them but it's the cheapest and easiest to buy as it's in store so it makes the most money.
I bought my hamster from a pet store and then came across you I then knew ot wasn't the right thing to do and took him to a local vet to get him checked for cancer/tumors ect. And he was fine nearly 2 years down the line less than a month before his birthday he was taken to the vet and diagnosed with cancer I know not to buy another from a pet store but I saw your videos just in time that I knew what I needed to do x